What are millennials looking to obtain from employment? The answer may surprise you as it has changed significantly from previous generations.
New findings from US News and World Report show that millennials prioritize income as the most important factor in a job. Income is followed in importance by work-life balance, stress level, the ability to climb the ladder, future job prospects, and the number of people employed in the field, respectively.
Based on the survey results, US News and World Report compiled a list of the ten best and worst jobs according to millennials. For the list of worst jobs, some are hard labor jobs that one would expect to find on such a list: construction worker, restaurant cook, and bartender. Others, however, are more surprising, like actor and choreographer. While jobs such as actor and choreographer may seem glamorous, millennials would prefer to have a better work-life balance.
Millennials tend to look at work differently than previous generations have. Similarly, the challenges millennials face are different than those that previous generations experienced. As technology advances, many traditional jobs become obsolete. Wesley Lawton, a career adviser at the Oakland University career center, says that millennials should expect to have multiple careers.
Furthermore, many millennials have a hard time choosing a career path because they are unsure of what they want to do with their lives; they do know that they want to do work that they consider to be rewarding and meaningful, but can’t settle on a specific job.
What makes things more complicated is that meaningful and rewarding work means something different to each person, according to Kristen Tolbert, a career coach in Miami.
“Millennials are going to be facing more challenges down the road than people working for a while. The idea of starting in a career and holding on to it until you retire is old news … One concept to help millennials to prepare for that is to really think of themselves as their own employers, and think about how they are branding themselves as a product,” Lawson explained. “They need to be flexible and know what they have to offer.”
Here is the top 10 for worst jobs and best jobs, according to millennials.
Worst jobs, median salary
1. Construction worker, $31,910
2. Actor, $39,236
3. Bartender, $19,530
4. Choreographer, $45,940
5. Community health worker, $36,300
6. Restaurant cook, $23,100
7. Paramedic, $31,980
8. Nursing aide, $25,710
9. Sales representative, $55,730
10. Structural iron and steelworker, $50,490
Best jobs, median salary
1. Web developer, $64,970
2. Dental hygienist, $72,330
3. Software developer, $98,260
4. Computer systems analyst, $85,800
5. Mechanical engineer, $83,590
6. Interpreter and translator, $44,190
7. Radiation therapist, $80,220
8. Insurance sales agent, $48,200
9. Cartographer, $61,880
10. Massage therapist, $38,040
More than 1,000 millennials ages 24 to 30 were surveyed for this study.
Katie Zehnder is a recent grad of Regent University. In addition to writing for Red Alert, Katie is an Editor for Red Millennial.
